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Red Skin Walnut/ Red Danube Walnut

Red Skin Walnut/ Red Danube Walnut

Three large walnuts were just given to me. They come from a tree just up the street. My friend's dog had broken into one of the nuts so we opened it completely to reveal a most beautiful sight... Taste is excellent! The other two have been planted. I photographed the remaining half nut meat and thought I'd share it will you all too.

I have never before seen one.

An Internet search makes references to a California Plantation. No mention in Wiki. They must come from somewhere..... Remember... I'm in Austria. Would bread from this walnut be purple... or some other color?

The different colors on the skin are probably somehow analagous to the pigments in leaves. The reds and yellows of fall color are there all summer but they only become visible when the green pigment fades in the fall.

I went looking in English and had no luck. Found reference to walnut trees, "...some with red skins..." in a bee garden. So off I went to check out a beeforum in German. Those bee people know what's up! There was a listing of walnut trees with discriptions which led me to walnut trees from seeds with photos. English translation click Here.

The walnut is referred to as a Red Danube Nut also as Geisenheimer sort 1239. Requires at least 70 square meters open land, or 83 square yards, roughly 9 yards square. Hard to get into my garden. Takes about 7 to 10 years before the first nuts.

I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and we, too had some huge walnuts in our local market this fall. The skin, however, was not purple--it was normal walnut-colored. I asked where the walnuts were from and the grocer told me there were a few trees near Heidelberg that produced these huge specimens. I will try to post a photo--first time posting here, so bear with me!

I saved the shell with the thought that I should be able to do something artistic with it--unfortunately I haven't had any bright ideas yet.<<

I don't know if you have little girls in your family but my dad used to make me miniature baby buggies (Kinderwagen). He would cut off half of the top shell and glue the existing 1/4 shell to the bottom half. Then he would take 4 tiny buttons and glue them on the bottom shell. (I forgot what he did for a handle). And Mom would give us a tiny piece of fabric for a "blanket". Those buggies were so cute.

Grafted walnut trees produce nuts within 2 to 4 years! Because the tree has to go into survival mode it blooms sooner. Cool, but the grafting technique is a tricky one and not done often and is in danger of getting "lost." The foot high walnut I want to pull out will go into a pot for grafting. I have to move it as it came up on it's own near my peony plants. I stuck the two nuts near to where it's coming up to get the bennefit of the protective substances the walnut tree is producing. I just have to keep an eye on things so my peonies don't suffer very long.

If pine needles can take the heat of a bread oven, using the basket as a banneton might be a great idea--I'd think it would impart its own piney scent in the baked bread and who knows where that would lead. Maybe served with slabs of butter fresh from our mountain meadows and Tannenhonig (fir tree honey) it would be a new sensation!

Grafting has always fascinated me. I tried it as a kid, but of course, it didn't work because I had no idea of what I was doing. I just saw Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire and he talked about grafting a bit and also described it as a lost art.

I grew up with black walnut trees--and black walnuts produce a chemical that repels certain plants from growing nearby. Is that a problem with the regular walnut tree?

"Heat of a bread oven?" Bannetons are used to raise dough and don't go into the oven... So I don't quite follow with the piney scent idea. Am I missing something? Tell more about the tannenhoney!

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on walnuts but I'm sure to check out the local "Tree School" first. They teach grafting here in Austria and sure to have some answers.

I've a North American black walnut heart too. I used to sit out on the sidewalk as a kid and with brick in hand, crack enough for a promissed batch of Walnut Fudge cookies. The cooks weren't too keen on me brushing the shells into the grass though. Heck, I knew where to walk! Between you and me, I can tell you they really hurt when you step on the shattered shells barefooted. The last time I did that little chore, I was using a hammer. Later as the cookies were coming out of the oven, my Aunt asked me what I did with the shells. "Swept them into the grass naturally," was my reply. If it wasn't for the fact that I was baking the cookies, I would have been chased out of the kitchen with the broom! Apparently I'm not the only one who runs barefoot in the grass.

My grandfather taught me a few things about black walnuts. Walnut trees everywhere are known for their protective chemicals, smooth walnuts too. Not everyone wants the leaves in their compost. (I have seen currant bushes thrive near walnut trees.) My grandfather had also removed many a poorly producing walnut tree and was a hobby woodworker. He harvested black walnuts. I don't think he ever grafted one. He would tell me, "Trees with the worst nuts have the best wood and trees that had good nuts where more often than not, hollow." Grampa's first question when someone wanted a walnut tree removed was, "How were the nuts?" He left many standing but promissing to pick up the nuts and the leaves in the fall, if that was the only reason for cutting it down. He always had his freezer full of homemade prepared foods too, I suspect from people glad to have their nut trees tended to. He kept us well stocked with nut meats.

From what I gather, the graft for a walnut is much like lego but with a much higher inside fit. I've noticed that there might be some hollowing of the grafted stem as well. Have to look into it more. Big temperature factor involved. Also a deep tap root. My Sil says she's got a walnut in a pot already and is interested too in grafting. (We have a few hobby green thumbs in the family and not much patience to wait 15 years for results.) Some pictures I saw involved digging and freeing the young trees of dirt, the first cut about 8 inches above the base, treated and waxed to prevent infection. The upper grafts correspond in width, also cut clean and treated. Then both ends are cut in a special table mounted device. Maybe the tops are bored and split, the pith removed. There are a lot of unknown details I need to find out.

Hi, I noticed you were interested in grafting the red walnut tree. I just did 3 this week. I found out how to do it online. I went to the Purdue education area, I used the seach words black walnut and it told step by step and had pictures for the whole proceedure. I am trying to make 3 tree's for my sons to have. My husband died and this was a special tree to us. I will know in a couple of weeks whether it works. Keeping my fingers crossed. I would send you what is called the scion, its the part that you use to graft to a host tree. The scion can be stored for up to 6 months is what I understand. If interested let me know, I would love to get these tree's out there. I love mine, its huge and so very pretty.

I thought it was just another "ground holler" and so I janked on it. Dirt stuck on it so I gave it a good shake. Didn't come off and with a closer look... it was a walnut! A nut with this cute little tree is about 10 inches tall! No sign of the second nut. But I'm so excited! I just put it into a little pot and watered it and tucked it back into the shade. I'm feeling so Red Walnut Wonderful! I had planted the two nuts within a foot of a small walnut in hopes that any protective chemicals coming off the tree would help the nuts sprout. Covered with lots of dead walnut leaves and humus too to protect it thru the winter.

(Time to bake those Linzer cookies while I'm feeling so country bonded!)

White walnuts, nothing exotic. When they fell to the ground, we'd put them on racks in the sun to dry a bit, with the thick green skins on (which we called "hulls"). Then, when the hulls split, we'd unpeel them - this stage left our fingers stained quite dark. Then the hulled walnuts (now showing their shells) would go back on the racks to dry out in the sun. This drying changes the colour and taste of the nut, which is quite bitter/sour/astringent before drying.

Once dry, they'd be ready for storage. My father used to spend hours cracking walnuts by hammer and wood block, meticulously removing shell bits. It was a labour of either love or obsession; either way they tasted fantastic and NOTHING like the ones sold to the packing house which are cleaned and processed mechanically for retail.

Oh yes, and you have to devise a system to discourage birds who learn to pick the nuts out of the drying rack and fly up to drop them on your roof or driveway to crack them open.

BTW, I have a huge black walnut tree in my backyard, and I have no trouble getting perennials to grow underneath it, as long as (like many things) competition for water doesn't become an issue. I've been told that establishing under the drip line of the black walnut can be more difficult; I've had it for 20 years and have not seen definitive evidence of this. They are a squirrel magnet, however!

Hi, I wanted to let you know that I have one of these tree's in my yard. My late husband was given this sapling as a gift, we planted it and 3 years ago it produced over 200 nuts that year. I didn't get it pruned in the meantime and it stopped being as prolific. I have however taken care of it now and have grafted 3 since. The meat inside is wonderful and not as potent as the black walnut. I had a hard time being able to cook with them as my kids ate them. I have a few still from last year in storage. I am hoping to have a good crop this fall. If grafting works (still waiting) I would gladly share a piece of the tree with anyone who wants this tree.

In February, I sent a large box of cuttings to be grafted. My little red seedling didn't make it thru the winter and I just now sadly discarded it. In fall, I hope to get my grafted saplings, one is reserved for my garden. What country are in you in, mom to 3?

Hmmm ...online, you don't say? Thanks for the info. It's been a few years since I was at Perdue. That was one youth retreat! I believe it was 1980 Joy for you and me.

Walnuts tend to produce ever other year. I've never heard of pruning them (although I did a good job on the tree that produced the above pictured nut.) I have seen some remarkable "come backs" from frozen or extremely cut trees in my village. Quite resilient trees!

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